Attorney Profile, Alan R. Goodman
Alan Goodman grew up right here in Western Massachusetts in Ware. He graduated magna cum laude from Amherst College where he wrote his senior honors thesis in American Studies on "The History of the Consumer Movement in America". That was printed and distributed by Ralph Nader and the late Colston Warne, founder of Consumers Union Consumer Reports Magazine. Alan was Consumer Advocate for the City of Northampton in the summer of 1972. He also helped form western Mass PIRG, which became MASS PIRG, a Ralph Nader inspired public interest research group.
After graduating from Amherst College, Alan became a writer and researcher at Consumers Union Consumer Reports Magazine in New York. He then attended Western New England College School of Law in Springfield on a fellowship from Amherst College. While there, he received numerous honors for highest grades in various courses. He organized and founded the Consumer Action Commission while there to help victims of consumer fraud. He graduated cum laude and at the top of the full time day division at WNEC Law School and was invited to teach part time as a professor at the law school which he did for a number of years at night while beginning law practice during the day.
During his long and distinguished career as a lawyer and an advocate for consumers, Alan has taken on cases that had no precedent and paved the way for others to recover in the future for similar actions around the country.
One of the cases that Alan did landed him on CBS's " 60 Minutes", ABC's "Good Morning America", the NBC evening news, and with John Stossel on ABC's "20-20". Alan has been an outspoken advocate for the victims of drunk driving and has successfully pushed for the ban on "Happy Hours" in bars in Springfield and throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He has also been a vigorous opponent of "High Speed Police Chases" and has moved to put the brakes on those types of police pursuits.